4) Cedric Mullins
The Mets landed their center fielder after a day of fighting with the Chicago White Sox to land Luis Robert Jr. It ended up being Cedric Mullins who went to the Mets. The team gave up Anthony Nunez, Raimon Gomez, and Chandler Marsh.
Three pitchers with high strikeout capabilities in exchange for a guy who can and will help them right now isn’t such a bad deal for either team. Although Mullins is a rental, he was a much-needed addition with the White Sox holding Robert hostage.
The Mets didn’t need to give up any of their higher profile prospects, but rather players with some upside. Likely three pitchers who’ll only ever be relievers in the minor leagues anyway, it doesn’t seem like the cost was at such an extreme that the Mets should be ridiculed or chastised.
Mullins wasn’t the preferred choice of everyone. Blame the White Sox for asking for the moon in exchange for a high-salaried player who only recently began to hit over .200.
The move pushes Tyrone Taylor back into the preferred role of being a bench player. It allows Jeff McNeil to settle in at second base. The Mets feel a whole lot more balanced with more potential one through nine in the lineup and even off the bench.
Grade: B
Other teams did bigger things, at a higher asking price. The Mets managed to keep all of their best prospects while bettering their chances. They failed to add a starting pitcher. Their lineup is better with Cedric Mullins and the bullpen now looks elite. The plan seems to be winning games 4-3 and hoping the bullpen stays healthy.